


I Should Have Known

by AtowncalledMalec



Series: Shadowhunter One Shots [1]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types, malec - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Asmodeus is a twat, Canon Compliant, Communication, Fix-It, Fluff, Happy Ending, Hope, Lorenzo spilling some piping hot tea, M/M, Malec need to talk., Probably won't happen like this but I need it, Set during 3x20, Spoilers, Violence, bamf malec, mostly - Freeform, the author is in denial, with some wishful thinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-25
Updated: 2019-04-25
Packaged: 2020-01-31 13:30:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18592210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AtowncalledMalec/pseuds/AtowncalledMalec
Summary: When Asmodeus returns Magnus' magic, he also decides that he needs to help Magnus with one or two other things. After all, Magnus would be awfully grateful if his loving father fixed a few of his problems, right?Or the one where Lorenzo gives a TED talk and the others actually listen.Uses spoilers from 3x20





	I Should Have Known

**Author's Note:**

> It might not happen like this but I wrote it anyway because I don't want to face reality. Please join me in denial.
> 
> This hints at events that happen in the Sneak peek of Shadowhunters so there will be spoilers. There will also be the odd spoiler for The Red Scrolls of Magic. So be warned.

 

Magnus rolled the pretzel wrapper between his hands, his eyebrow raised in silent question as he looked at Asmodeus. 

 

“Why do you want to know what Lorenzo’s pedigree is?” Magnus asked, suspicion lacing every syllable.

 

“Lorenzo? I’m simply curious as to how powerful this Lorenzo is. Can a concerned father not ask? It is your apartment he is currently living in,” Asmodeus said innocently.

 

“His father was banished to Edom centuries ago,” Magnus hedged, unsure if he liked where his father was going with the question.

 

“What type of demon is he?” Asmodeus asked casually.

 

“I believe he is a Nubero. Castilian legend says he was banished after razing an entire village to the ground during a particularly violent storm that he had called down upon them when they had pissed him off,” Magnus said. It was probably true and would explain where Lorenzo got his spitefulness from.

 

Asmodeus nodded, his fingers playing over his lips as he thought. A smile quirked the corners of his lips up when the answer came to him. Waving his hand, he created a portal and turned for it.

 

“Come along, Magnus. We are going to get your apartment back,” Asmodeus said, strolling through his portal, knowing that Magnus would follow. 

 

“Wait, what are you going to do?” Magnus asked, following when his retreating father disappeared through the portal, unsure if he hated Lorenzo enough to unleash his father on the warlock. 

 

Magnus stepped out of the portal into the hallway of his former building, wincing when Asmodeus didn’t bother knocking. 

 

Asmodeus snapped his fingers and broke through the wards on the double doors before him like a knife, slicing through butter. They were rather pathetic compared to his power. The door to Magnus’ apartment flew open with the gesture. Stalking forward, he looked around with mild interest. 

 

“I take you to be Lorenzo, the Warlock who has usurped my son's position and stolen his home?” Asmodeus asked when a rather smarmy and very angry looking warlock came running. 

 

“And I take it that you are Asmodeus?” Lorenzo Rey said when he saw Magnus enter his apartment behind the man who had broken in, his magic dancing over the palms of his hands. He didn't know whether to be angry that Magnus had somehow managed to summon a greater demon or shit his pants. 

 

“Correct,” Asmodeus said, his eyebrow quirking up when he saw the red sparks that emanated from Lorenzo's hands. 

 

“I told you, he didn't steal it. I gave it to him in exchange for services rendered…” Magnus cut off when his father waved a dismissive hand, obviously not willing to listen.  _ Some things never change.  _

 

“I usurped nothing. The position of High Warlock was given to me when your son could no longer handle it. And as for the apartment, my ownership of it is legal and above board,” Lorenzo said, knowing that he couldn't afford to show an ounce of weakness in front of the greater demon. 

 

“And what were the terms of this legal and above board transaction?” Asmodeus asked, shaking Magnus’ hand off when it landed on his shoulder. 

 

“That is between me and your son,” Lorenzo said, a lot more bravely than he felt. Turning to Magnus, he shook his head. “Running off to your father to solve your problems, Magnus? I would say that I expected better but…”

 

“The terms?” Asmodeus asked, his hand flicking out, his magic wrapping around Lorenzo’s throat and choking him. Lifting Lorenzo off of his feet, he let his glamour fall, his eyes boring into those of the terrified warlock who scraped at his throat with magic in a weak attempt to fight his magical hold.

 

“Put him down, Asmodeus. I lost my home because of you because I needed my magic. Lorenzo gave me a magical transfusion and in exchange, I gave him the loft. So put him down, now,” Magnus said, his own magic building on his hands. As infuriating as Lorenzo was, he was a man of his word and had given his apartment up willingly. Even if it had hurt.

 

“You didn’t have magic when I found you earlier,” Asmodeus said, letting his magic lick around Lorenzo’s neck for a moment longer before releasing the man. 

 

Lorenzo dropped to the ground, landing with a thud, choking from the strong grip. The power that had wrapped around him was terrifying for its strength. He scrambled to his feet cautiously, glaring at Magnus.

 

“The transfusion didn’t work. I wouldn’t have had to have a transfusion if you hadn’t bargained for my magic in the first place,” Magnus said pointedly. 

 

“So you gave my son some useless magical transfusion, in exchange for his home?” Asmodeus asked, rounding on Lorenzo once more. “You tricked him. Your magic would not be strong enough for the son of a greater demon.”

 

“It was not my magic that was weak. Magnus was too weak to be able to take it. I warned him that his body might reject it but he insisted that he could handle it,” Lorenzo said, stung by the aspersion cast upon his magic. 

 

“Can we go now?” Magnus asked, wanting nothing more than to get away from Lorenzo. He didn’t need to be reminded that his body couldn’t even handle Lorenzo’s magic and the loft was bringing up memories that he would rather stay buried.

 

“What happened to the magic that you gave him?” Asmodeus asked Lorenzo.

 

“I took it back when he rejected it, saving his life in the process, I might add,” Lorenzo said.  _ That had to count for something. _

 

“So you took his job, his home, and your faulty magic from him and left him with nothing?” Asmodeus asked, ignoring the part where Lorenzo had saved Magnus’ life. “A low, cowardly thing to do,” he said, his magic once again flaring out over the distance between them.

 

“I told you, taking it back saved his life. As I told his Shadowhunter when he came begging, it is not my fault if he wasn’t strong enough to handle the magic,” Lorenzo gasped, once more clawing at the magic that was wrapped around his neck.

 

“What do you mean, “when Alec came begging”?” Magnus asked, waving his hand to counter the magic that was wrapped around Lorenzo’s neck, breaking through it with a swipe of his hand to let Lorenzo speak.

 

“He came here while you were dying in the Institute’s infirmary, begging, crying about how he couldn’t live without you. Apparently, you are his world and he couldn’t bear to go on without you,” Lorenzo choked out, finally realising that Magnus actually had his magic back.

 

Magnus stared at Lorenzo incredulously, ignoring the pain that was jabbing at his insides.  _ Alec soon changed his mind,  _ he reminded himself. He had known that Alec had come to Lorenzo but why would Alec cry and say those things then leave him less than a week later?

 

“It matters not,” Asmodeus said quickly, drawing Magnus’ attention from Lorenzo. “The fact remains, you took the magic back. However, you didn’t give him his home back,” he said.

 

“That was not the deal. I gave him the magic. If he couldn’t handle…” Lorenzo cut off when sparks started to play over Asmodeus’ hand once more.

 

“Your magic was returned when it was no good. You will give my son his apartment back,” Asmodeus said, the finality in his tone ringing through the loft.

 

“It doesn’t work like that! This is not a store, he can’t just return the magic and expect a refund!” Lorenzo said furiously, his gaze darting from Asmodeus to Magnus and back again.

 

“That is exactly what he can expect. Magnus gave his home up in exchange for the magic, if it is no good, then the deal is void!” Asmodeus spat, his eyes glowing once more.

 

“Why do you even want the apartment back anyway? Is the Institute not good enough for the newlyweds?” Lorenzo asked, turning on Magnus, as he watched his claim on the loft slip away. There was no way he was powerful enough to take Asmodeus on if the greater demon decided to let loose.

 

“Excuse me?” Magnus choked out, staring at Lorenzo.  _ What the fuck?  _ “What do you mean, “newlyweds”?” he asked, holding his hand up to silence his furious looking father.

 

“Newlyweds is what we call couples who have recently gotten married, Magnus,” Lorenzo said, as though explaining something to someone who was particularly slow. “I assume it is too soon for the two of you to have gotten married but the sentiment remains the same,” he said, searching Magnus’ hand for the ring and coming up short. 

 

“What are you talking about? Alexander and I aren't married,” Magnus said, once again silencing his father with a look. 

 

“I assumed that he had already asked you,” Lorenzo said with a shrug. “Did I spoil the surprise?” he asked, a hint of smugness lacing his tone.

 

“That is enough. You will return my son’s apartment or I will banish you to Edom. I am sure your father could use the company,” Asmodeus said, trying to regain control of the situation. The warlock’s flapping mouth was ruining his plan.

 

“Fuck the apartment. What are you talking about, Lorenzo?” Magnus asked, doing his best to keep his magic in check. It was sparking across his fingers in his agitation.

 

“Alec was supposed to propose to you. I thought he already had,” Lorenzo shrugged uncomfortably, trying to ignore the death glare that Asmodeus aimed his way.

 

“When? And how did you know this?” Magnus asked.

 

“What does it matter? He left you, remember. He left you when you had nothing,” Asmodeus hissed, raising an eyebrow when Magnus turned on him.

 

“Let him speak, I want to hear what he has to say,” Magnus said before turning to Lorenzo once more. “Well?” he asked.

 

“Maryse Lightwood told me that Alec was planning on proposing, she seemed delighted by the prospect,” Lorenzo said stiffly. The eyebrow that Magnus raised at him had him elaborating.

 

“I had heard that Maryse had recently come into possession of a certain store. There was a book there that I wished to procure. Maryse refused to sell it to me, on your behalf. When I told her how petty she was being, she went off on a tangent about how I had wronged you and how she wouldn't sell me so much as a scrap piece of paper. She then proceeded to tell me how her son was going to make you happy by looking for a new apartment with you and marrying you. I stopped listening after that, I was rather bored.”

 

“When?” Magnus asked through numb lips, half thankful that Maryse had spoken up on his behalf, half shocked that Alec had planned to propose to him and 100% confused about why Alec would leave him if he had indeed planned it. 

 

“Enough!” Asmodeus hissed, needing to regain control of the situation. Lorenzo's words were threatening to derail his plans, he could see that from the hope that had flitted through Magnus’ eyes. It had only been there for a second but it was hard to miss, considering he had seen nothing but anger, disdain, despair and pain in them since returning to Magnus’ side. 

 

“When?” Magnus shouted, cutting over his father's protest.  _ Why is he so bent on putting an end to this conversation?  _

 

“Two days ago,” Lorenzo said, watching Magnus get more and more agitated by the second. 

 

“Two… Two days ago?” Magnus asked, starting to pace.  _ So, as far as Maryse was concerned, Alec had been planning to propose to me… the dinner. Two days ago, and then the next day, he told me that he needed a break from me. Not exactly the actions of a man who was considering something as permanent as marriage.  _

 

Waving his hand, Magnus created a portal. He wanted to talk to Alec about what Lorenzo had said. Now. 

 

**

 

Alec scrubbed his hand over his face on his way back to his office, removing the Seelie ring when he reached it. The entire mission had been a waste of time. Not only had Jace been caught out, not only had the Seelie Queen gotten kidnapped but in the end, Jace had managed to lose Clary. And, Jonathan and Clary were still on the loose. The devastation in Jace’s eyes when he had said it hit just a little too close to home.

 

“What a fucking shit show!” Alec muttered to himself, slamming his office door behind him, the metal of the ring digging into his palm where he gripped it too tight. Loosening his grip, he stared down at the ring, tears coming unbidden. 

 

Taking a seat behind his desk, Alec blinked them away furiously, once again telling himself that that wasn’t how Shadowhunters were supposed to act. Except, with nobody there to see him, he couldn’t help it. Through the thick blur of the tears that he tried, again and again, to blink back, he dropped the Seelie ring onto his desk and pulled the drawer out.

 

It wasn’t a long search, the box was right there. Taking the spherical ring box out, Alec snapped the lid open, his tears spilling over when he saw the Lightwood ring nestled there. 

 

_ How are you going to get past it?  _ Izzy had asked him.

 

A shaky sob escaped Alec with the tears, the sound desperate and keening, even to his own ears. How was he supposed to move past Magnus? Magnus was everything to him. Everything that he had ever wanted to be, everything that he had ever wanted. There was no moving past Magnus.

 

Magnus was his hope, the hope that he had clung to as a child that one day, things would be different for him. Magnus was his courage, the courage that a scared little boy had needed so badly. Magnus was the love of his life. A love that had shined brightly, for too brief a moment. The words that Underhill had spoken, on the night that Magnus had missed dinner at The Hunter’s moon, rang loudly in his ears.  _ Nephilim love once, fiercely.  _

 

The life that they could… should have had floated behind Alec’s eyes, the pain of that knowledge cutting deep. They could have had everything, everything that had been denied him by the restrictions of the clave. Magnus was his one love, the only one that he would ever get. 

 

_ You did it to save him. He sacrificed so much for you, you have to let him move on, be happy.  _ This is what Alec had been telling himself, every second of every hour since he had walked away from that love. It was the only thing keeping him together, that Magnus might one day be happy without him. How else was he supposed to keep himself away? It would all be for nothing if he caved, as he almost had fifty times since leaving.

 

It had been close, more than a few times. Hell, he had barely made it out of the store before wanting to turn on the spot and spill his guts. Waking up, rolling onto Magnus’ empty side of the bed had been the worst part. That and knowing that this would be his life now. Eating breakfast alone would be his life now. Enduring the whispers would be his life now. The crippling loneliness that was eating away at him was his life now. And he had to go through it all with a mask of stoic indifference on. Because that was the Shadowhunter way. 

 

“Emotions cloud judgement,” Alec mocked, his voice hoarse and scratchy, trailing off into a whisper. This was his life now, again. This hiding himself away, hiding his true feelings behind a wall that nobody could pierce. Not even his sister. Not even his Parabatai. But then again, wasn’t he used to that by now? That was how he had made it through his entire fucking life. 

 

A solid mask, squashing down his pain and a healthy dose of withering sarcasm. That was what Alec had to look forward to instead of a life of love and freedom, kids, marriage, somebody being there to tell him that it was okay to be who he was. That he was fine, just as he was. 

 

Unable to stop himself, the anger and hurt boiling up, Alec lashed out in a fit of rage, unwilling to hold it all back when there was nobody there to see him fall to pieces. Sweeping everything off his desk with a primal scream of rage and sorrow, he sent it all flying, his lamp landing harmlessly on the floor and rolling away, the Lightwood ring soaring across the room.

 

Seeing the ring bounce off of the floor and skid under the couch stopped Alec from picking the lamp up and smashing it into a thousand tiny pieces like his heart. Breathing heavily and trying to wipe the tears away again, he heaved himself out of his chair to retrieve the ring, staying on the floor on his knees when he reached under the couch and grabbed the ring. 

 

Magnus was the one who gave him the strength to stand. And right now, Alec just didn't have it in him. So he stayed where he was, clutching the ring tightly, unable to stop himself from imagining that he had proposed to Magnus, that Magnus had said yes, that they would have started planning the wedding soon. As soon as they had found themselves a new apartment.

 

_ “Two beds, two baths, a spacious walk-in closet is a must.” _

 

It was hard not to imagine setting up a crib in that second bedroom or Magnus begging to store some of his extra clothes in his closet because Magnus had no room left in his own or trying to find the right subway to work ten times before Magnus forced him through a portal because he was late again. Except that was the reason that he had given it all up; so that Magnus would be able to create those portals. 

 

Speaking of portals, one opened up, a few feet in front of where Alec still knelt on the ground. It sucked him in, dragging him across the wooden floor of his office. With barely a second to realise that it was Magnus’ magic, or to realise that he had even recognised it as such, he was spat out on the other side. 

 

Raising his head, Alec stared up into a pair of beautiful brown eyes, eyes that flashed a breathtaking golden colour, split with vertical pupils before reverting to brown again.  _ Magnus. He has his magic back. He looks so damn beautiful. And lost and confused, but mainly just beautiful. _

 

“Magnus, what are you doing? You can’t… we can’t…” Alec slammed his mouth closed before he said something that he wouldn’t be able to take back. Like,  _ we can’t talk or your father will take your magic back. I can’t be here or he will break our agreement and you will lose it all over again, because of me. _ That was what he wanted to say. But he couldn’t. So he looked around, realising that he was in the loft and that Asmodeus was standing right there.  _ Has he brought me here to fucking gloat? _

 

“Alec. Lorenzo here seems to be under the impression that you were considering proposing to me two days ago,” Magnus said, just about managing to get the words out without stumbling over them and breaking down. Of course, he wasn’t thinking that even with red-rimmed eyes and a tear-streaked face, Alec looked so good. Not at all.  _ Why has he been crying?  _ He  _ was the one who wanted the break, not me! _

 

“I have no idea what you are talking about, Lorenzo is obviously mistaken,” Alec said in a monotone when Asmodeus glared at him. Looking around, he then noticed Lorenzo, standing behind him. The sight of the High Warlock had him climbing to his feet, there was no way he would willingly put his back to Lorenzo Rey.

 

Lorenzo stared at Alec, his eyes boggling at the ridiculous lie. They all heard it. A deaf man could hear it. Respect was not a word that he associated with Sadowhunters very often but he could admit to himself, he had at least respected Alec’s candour, if nothing else. The boy always told the truth, Alec couldn’t lie to save himself. And it was obvious to all of them, he noted when he saw Magnus’ and Asmodeus’ eyes narrow simultaneously. The family resemblance was uncanny.

 

“Sure you don’t. So what is that?” Magnus asked, folding his arms across his chest, his eyes glued to the ring in Alec’s hand. The ‘L’ that was engraved into the square surface stood out a mile. “Why would you have the Lightwood ring if you weren’t planning on putting it to use?” he asked mercilessly. Everyone knew what the Shadowhunters used their family rings for.

 

“I… don’t… it’s not for… I…” Alec stuttered, silently cursing himself for not being able to come up with something quickly. The glare from Asmodeus had him desperately trying to come up with something, anything. 

 

There was no way he had ripped both of their hearts out for the deal to fall through now. He had already lost so much in Magnus and that was nothing compared to how much Magnus had lost. Another loss of his magic would kill him.  _ What the fuck is going on?  _ He silently asked Asmodeus with a scowl. Asmodeus wasn’t even supposed to be there.

 

“And this is who you squandered your magic on? Eloquent, isn’t he?” Asmodeus asked, his tone dripping with boredom. The look that Alec gave him, the one that quite clearly said “fuck you” had his eyes narrowing. Could the boy not restrain himself? Of course not, he couldn’t even tell a decent lie.  _ You will have to do better than that,  _ he silently commanded, his glamour dropping away, his gaze boring into Alec’s.

 

“Why do you keep looking to him?” Magnus asked Alec, fighting the urge to roll his eyes at his father. He was too busy trying to work out why Alec hadn’t asked who Asmodeus was. “Have you two met?” he asked, taking in the silent conversation that Alec and Asmodeus seemed to be having.

 

“Of course not,” Asmodeus said, his voice silky and reassuring. Alec’s eyes darting away made him want to kick the Shadowhunter.  _ Why is he so bad at this? _

 

“I’ve never met him before,” Alec said with a nonchalant shrug, his voice once again a monotone. The loud snort that Lorenzo let out had him scowling. “What are you snorting at?” he asked Lorenzo, his voice rising in his agitation.  _ Nobody asked for your opinion. _

 

“You. I’ve met Seelies that could lie better than you,” Lorenzo sniffed. “You are appalling at it. I don’t even know why you bother. Your mother already told me about what a wonderful life you and your… charming fiance are going to have together,” he said, his eyebrows in his hairline. 

 

“Hold your tongue, Warlock,” Asmodeus spat before Magnus rounded on him.

 

“I should have known better. Every time I am at my lowest you turn up, trying to talk your way back in. Every time!” Magnus shouted, staring his father down. It was obvious, right there in front of him. And he had been too lost in his misery to see it. The innocent expression on Asmodeus’ face only made him angrier, stalking forward to lay into his father.

 

“It was the same when my mother killed herself. When my stepfather tried to drown me! You were there then too, whispering about how I had the power to burn him. It was the same when I had nothing as a child, living on the streets, sweet words about how you would care for me when nobody else would. It was the same when the first person that I loved died in my arms, warnings about how they would all leave me but you would always be there. When Camille broke my heart the first time. Always with the whispers about how much you love me!” Magnus snarled, glaring at his father. 

 

Lorenzo gaped at Magnus like a fish. The entire premise of his hatred for Magnus seemed to crumble before his eyes. Magnus was the son of a greater demon. Surely that meant a certain privileged lifestyle, not this litany of misery? He watched Alec’s hand dart out, as though the gesture was an automatic thing, to reach for Magnus’ shoulder before Alec seemed to think better of it.

 

“Magnus,” Alec said quietly, wanting nothing more than to wrap his arms around Magnus. The shake of Magnus’ voice was something that he didn’t often hear but it happened more often than not when Magnus talked about the painful memories of his past. But he wasn’t allowed to comfort Magnus anymore so he dropped his hand.

 

“And when Alec left me, you were there again, weren’t you?” Magnus asked, shaking his head at Alec before turning on his father once more. “You were there with the thing that I needed most, my magic. Except you forgot one thing, I know for a fact that there is always a price with you,” he said. Asmodeus gave nothing freely and it didn’t take a genius to work out who had paid the price. Or what that price was, judging by the ring that Alec still clutched in his hand.

 

“Who do you think you’re speaking to?” Asmodeus snarled at his ungrateful son. “ _ I  _ am the only one who loves you enough to stay _. I _ gave you your magic back.  _ I _ gave you the strength to carry on during those times when you had nothing.  _ I _ was the one who came here to get your apartment back.  _ I  _ was the one who stopped you from erasing your memories!” 

 

“Why? So that my pain would fester until I was filled with nothing but hatred? Are you so twisted that that is your idea of love?” Magnus asked, ignoring the sharp intake of breath behind him. “What was the plan? Make sure that I stayed miserable so that I would keep you around out of desperation? Make me rely on you so I would see that you were the only one I could trust? And then what, join you?”

 

“You still can. Together, we could control the entire demonic plain,” Asmodeus said, willing to forgive Magnus’ outburst if his son joined him. “Leave this rat hole and that pathetic excuse for a lover behind and take up your rightful place. By my side,” he said.

 

“I have no interest in ruling over anything! Especially not with you,” Magnus said incredulously, wondering if his father was trying to play some ridiculous joke on him. “Why do you even need me? Lilith is out of the way, you already have Edom under your control.”

 

“I have Edom under my control, yes. But there are other realms, all of them ready to be united as one. We could rule over all of them, you and I, as it should be. All you have to do is join your power with mine,” Asmodeus said

 

“That was your plan all along? To separate us so that you could use him for his power? Isolate Magnus so that you could take him back to Edom?” Alec burst out, unable to hold it in. “All that crap about me making him weak and miserable, about how he would never reach his full potential with me in his life, it was all to keep us apart, so that you could use him?”

 

Magnus had told him of the unconscionable things that Asmodeus had done over the centuries but Alec had thought even Asmodeus wouldn’t stoop so low as to break Magnus, just to keep him close and use him for his power. Asmodeus could go and fuck himself if he thought that the deal was worth more than Magnus’ safety. Because Magnus sure as hell wouldn’t be safe in Edom.

 

“You said that to him?” Magnus asked, glaring at his father. He might be used to his father’s whispers but Alec wasn’t. No wonder Alec had left, one hint that Alec would destroy him would be enough in Alec’s eyes. Alec made too many sacrifices for his own good, time and time again, why should his own happiness be any different? Alec would see that as a small price to pay.

 

“It is true, every word of it. He does make you weak. He would have watched you live a mortal life and die. I am offering you eternal life and glory as a ruler of the…” Asmodeus tried before Magnus cut him off.

 

“I don’t want eternal glory ruling the realms, I never said that I did,” Magnus shouted frustratedly. All he wanted was a happy, peaceful life with the man that he loved. Was it too much to ask? “I will never join you, I have everything that I have ever needed right here. Why would I give that up?” he asked.

 

“Then we have nothing to talk about. You should have joined me. Now I will have to take your power back,” Asmodeus said, disappointment welling up. They could have been a force to be reckoned with.

 

“You can’t take his power back, he has to give it to you, you know that,”  Lorenzo said, staring at Asmodeus. The fact that his own father wasn’t a greater demon had always been a source of great embarrassment for him, and the root cause of his hatred of Magnus. But if this was what became of having a greater demon as a parent, then Magnus was welcome to it. 

 

As far as Lorenzo was concerned, Asmodeus was a lunatic.  _ No wonder Magnus is such a pain in my ass. My father is a dream compared to Asmodeus. At least my father has never stolen my magic and tormented me until I became a miserable wreck and give into his crazy demands.  _ Something that he never thought he would feel for Magnus Bane sprang up then to replace the jealousy that he had always felt. Pity. 

 

“Yes, I do know that,” Asmodeus said, his magic coalescing on his hands. There was only one way he could take Magnus’ magic now.

 

Alec dropped the Lightwood ring on the floor, letting it roll away. Unslinging his bow when it materialised, he had it nocked with one of the three-headed arrows that Izzy had created for him before Asmodeus could even finish drawing power.

 

Magnus had the same thought as Alec. His power had already been building, knowing what Asmodeus was truly like. Creating a glowing red fireball, he struck out at Asmodeus, at the same time as Alec let his arrows loose. Lorenzo’s magic, striking Asmodeus was a surprise that almost knocked him on his ass but it wasn’t unwelcome.

 

Lorenzo sent his own magic forth, lashing out at Asmodeus with a burning red fireball that was almost as large as Magnus’ was. Unable duck in time, he screamed when it rebounded and took him off of his feet. The wall, next to the balcony doors, that he smashed into, hurt like a motherfucker. He managed to raise a shield before bricks and plaster started raining down.

 

Asmodeus erected his own shield, unable to do much else with the triple attack. A smug smile of satisfaction spread across his face when the blast of Magnus’ and Lorenzo’s magic’s hit his shield and sent all three of them hurtling away.

 

Alec flew through the air and crashed into the table and chairs that had replaced Magnus’ dining set. Thankfully, Lorenzo preferred wood to Magnus’ glass table but the force of the blow still stole the air from his lungs. 

 

The sight of Magnus, skidding across the floor and smashing into one of the pillars, managed to drag Alec to his feet. Nocking one of his five headed arrows, he drew a bead on Asmodeus once more, aiming for Asmodeus’ sternum, just as he had with Azazal.

 

Magnus dragged himself out of the stupor that threatened to overtake him when he saw Alec aiming for his father. Swirling his hands in an arc, he wrapped his magic into another ball and dropped into a lunge to lash out at Asmodeus with both hands, hoping that Alec’s arrows were enough of a distraction. 

 

Lorenzo threw a shield up around Alec when Asmodeus took control of Alec’s arrows in midair and redirected them back at Alec before Asmodeus once again erected a shield. He winced when the arrows split, all five of them smashing through his pots, vases and paintings. The place was going to be a wreck, especially when Magnus’ rebounding fireball smashed through the balcony doors, spraying shattered glass everywhere. 

 

Magnus gritted his teeth when the glass doors exploded, the stinging pain from the myriad of cuts that sliced into him from the impact threatening to steal his concentration for a moment before he pushed it away. It could be dealt with later. Right now, he had more important things to worry about. Like Asmodeus.

 

Alec exchanged a look with Lorenzo, hoping that the High Warlock was competent enough to take his nod for the signal that it was meant to be before turning on Asmodeus when Lorenzo nodded back. Drawing arrow after arrow, he fired them one after another in a relentless attack on Asmodeus’ shield, thanking the angel when Lorenzo did the same with a series of fireballs.

 

Magnus realised what Alec and Lorenzo were doing in an instant, they were trying to wear Asmodeus down and break through his shield. It was just what Magnus needed, a moment to breathe and it was working. 

 

Asmodeus fought the onslaught with a vicious snarl, watching as Arrow after arrow, fireballs, one after the other, rebounded in every direction. He sent his own magic forth anytime he thought he could reach the Shadowhunter and High Warlock but they were relentless. Maintaining his shield was starting to become a struggle.

 

“Alexander, Lorenzo, keep going. His shield is weakening,” Magnus yelled, letting his power build beneath his skin as he assessed Asmodeus’ remaining strength. Like it or not, their magic was connected closely enough to get a sense of it. Gathering his own magic once more, he fashioned it into a whip and lassoed it around his head when he felt Asmodeus weaken, striking out the moment Asmodeus’ shield failed.

 

Asmodeus screamed when Magnus’ magical whip wrapped around his neck. He retaliated quickly, sending a blast of magic at his son, breathing hard when the whip released him. Another shriek escaped when an arrow pierced his thigh, another one his left bicep and a fireball smashed into his stomach from Lorenzo. 

 

None of those things made a dent, however, compared to Magnus’ whip, smashing into the centre of Asmodeus’ chest. Or the fireball Magnus sent after it, that smashed into his face and sent him somersaulting back through the air.

 

Magnus fought for breath, his ears aching from the scream that erupted from Asmodeus, a split second before the greater demon was banished back to Edom in a hale of fire and ash. 

 

Magnus stared at the ash pile that had been his father a moment before, unable to process the feelings that ran through at that moment; shock, relief, guilt, sadness, happiness, confusion. It all swirled in a mess until a groan caught his attention.

 

Lorenzo sat up, looking around himself to realise that he had been knocked off of his feet, again. The stinging burn on his arm and the aching of every joint he possessed made him feel as though he had been taken apart and put back together again incorrectly. The hand that floated in front of him had him looking up. 

 

Magnus took hold of Lorenzo’s hand and pulled him to his feet. Laying his hand on top of the burn on Lorenzo’s arm, he sent his magic forth and healed it. Mainly as an excuse not to look at Alec. 

 

Lorenzo‘s gaze flicked from Magnus to Alec, who looked guilty as hell, and back again. There was an issue that he didn’t want to stick around for. Instead of watching the couple, he decided to assess the damage to the loft. Which was pretty much everywhere and majorly extensive. House repairs had never been his thing. 

 

“You can have the loft back,” Lorenzo said, raising an eyebrow when Magnus’ head snapped up. Technically, Asmodeus had been right, he had taken the magic back. He could be the bigger person and return the loft, if only not to have to deal with the hassle of being accused of cheating a warlock out of their possessions again. “What, I’m not a monster. And this place is more hassle than it’s worth,” he said when Magnus finished healing him.

 

Magnus jolted in surprise when Lorenzo’s magic seeped into him, pushing the glass out of his body and healing the gashes on his head, back and leg. Thankfully, they hadn’t gone too deep and were probably superficial at best. 

 

“Thank you, Lorenzo. For healing me and for helping against my father. I won’t forget this,” Magnus said earnestly. They would never be friends, too much had passed between them but maybe they could at least be civil to each other in the future. And he really did appreciate the help.

 

“Don’t get excited, this doesn’t make us friends. I am a member of the council and the High Warlock of Brooklyn, and as you are so fond of pointing out, it is my duty to protect Warlocks. Such as yourself,” Lorenzo muttered before he created a portal and stepped through it. He needed a stiff drink and a hot bath. And not to see Magnus Bane for a long, long time.

 

Alec watched Lorenzo disappear, his gaze leaving Magnus, just long enough to see Lorenzo go. Magnus, however, took up his undivided attention once more. Now that they were alone. 

 

The words that Alec wanted to blurt out stuck in the back of his throat as he watched Magnus start putting the loft back together. He wanted to tell Magnus how sorry he was, how much he had missed Magnus, how much he hated that he had fucked up so badly. But the words wouldn’t come. Magnus couldn’t even look at him.

 

“You should activate your Iratze, Alec,” Magnus muttered, knowing that Alec hadn’t done it. He badly wanted to go over and check Alec for injuries but he didn’t trust himself not to break down. So instead, he made a show of getting rid of Lorenzo’s furniture and heinous “art”, being methodical in his work.

 

“Magnus… I… I’m so sorry,” Alec muttered, fiddling with his stele, considering whether he should activate the rune or not. Knowing that Magnus would give him hell if he didn’t, he lifted his shirt and swiped his stele over the rune. He had mainly sustained bumps and bruises, and a massive blow to the ribs when he had landed on the table but it was fading away. He was more concerned about Magnus’ silence.

 

“What are you sorry for, Alexander? That you went behind my back instead of talking to me?” Magnus asked, summoning his own furniture and personal belongings, letting everything find its home once more. Another snap of his fingers had him dressed in clean clothes, void of blood, ash and holes. Black pants and vest, and a gold silk shirt. He even fixed his hair and added some colour, anything to avoid looking at Alec.

 

“I know that I shouldn’t have, that I should have discussed it with you but it was the only way that I could see to make you happy. You needed to move on with your magic and forget about me in order to do that,” Alec said, blinking furiously, refusing to cry again. 

 

It was what Alec had thought would happen, the only reason that he had done it. In retrospect, he half wished that he had never gone to see the Warlock that Asmodeus had possessed in the first place. More than half wished. The only consolation that he had was that Magnus had his magic back.

 

“You let him play on your fears, didn’t you? Fears that you aren’t enough for me? Do you really think that I can just move on and forget you because I have my magic back, that I could forget you so easily?” Magnus asked, turning to face Alec once more. How could Alec even think that? 

 

“You were miserable. You said it yourself, your magic made you happy. All of that was gone. I just needed to get it back for you,” Alec said, meeting Magnus’ gaze, watching Magnus’ glamour fall away. The golden gaze that Magnus fixed upon him made his stomach tighten. He had missed those eyes almost as much as he had missed Magnus himself.

 

“And you think that you don’t? Do you honestly think that you don’t make me happy? That all that matters to me is my magic?” Magnus asked shakily, realising that it was his own fault that Alec felt that way. He had said it himself, but that didn’t mean that he didn’t love Alec, that Alec didn’t make him happy too. He had needed time to come to terms with the loss.

 

“That’s not what I said. But you’ve said it so many times, that you feel like your magic makes you who you are. You could move on from me in time. You couldn’t just move on from the loss of your magic,” Alec said, aching to reach out and close the distance between them.

 

“Could you move on from me so easily? Just leave me in your past and forget about me?” Magnus asked, restraining himself from yelling the words.

 

“No, even the thought of living without you is like putting myself through the worst kind of hell. I barely made it through a day without you. I thought that I could keep my walls up but I couldn’t. Because I couldn’t bear the thought of losing you,” Alec said, closing the distance between them when he saw tears spill over Magnus’ cheeks. 

 

“Then why do you think I could?” Magnus yelled, raising his hand when Alec reached out to him, he couldn’t. Otherwise, he would break.

 

“I don’t know. I couldn’t think of another way,” Alec yelled back, hating himself for it. “If I could have, I would have done it but I couldn’t. Your father got under my skin, brought out my worst fears and all I could think of was fixing the mess that you had gotten into for me,” he said. 

 

“Why? After everything that I told you about him? How could you just believe him? How could you leave me?” Magnus asked, fighting it when Alec’s arms came around him. He hadn’t even seen Alec move through the tears that had filled his eyes.

 

“Because he offered a solution, offered you a chance to be happy, even if it was without me. And I wanted it for you, so badly that I believed him. I didn’t want to be the reason for your downfall,” Alec said, clinging on when Magnus fought him. 

 

“If there was any way to give you even a fraction of that happiness back, I was going to take it, ” Alec whispered in Magnus’ ear, unable to say it any louder.“Because your happiness means more to me than my own.”

 

“You are my happiness. Why can’t you see how much I love you? How much you mean to me? Why do you always put yourself last, even in my affections? How do you not know that you mean more to me than all of this?” Magnus asked, sinking into Alec’s embrace when he didn’t have the energy or the willpower to fight it anymore.

 

“Because nobody ever loved me the way that you do. Nobody ever told me that I was enough before, that I was the reason for their happiness. Nobody until you,” Alec said, holding Magnus tightly to him, letting him sob. If it was selfish for him to thank the angel that he had Magnus back in his arms again, he didn’t have it in him to care. 

 

“I don’t always know how to deal with what you mean to me or what I mean to you and I’m so sorry that I fucked up,” Alec said, burying his face in Magnus’ shoulder. “I just wanted to make it right and I got it wrong. I’m sorry,” he mumbled into Magnus’ silk shirt, feeling the dampness where his tears fell. 

 

“Me either,” Magnus muttered, clinging to Alec. Despite the pain and anger of the last day or so, despite what he had almost done, he had missed Alec so badly, had just wanted to sink into Alec’s embrace. “I’m sorry that I made you feel like you weren’t enough to make me happy. I didn’t know how to deal with the loss. But I never wanted this, it almost broke me to think of living without you,” he said, pulling back to look at Alec.

 

“Me too, I hated it. One day, I was planning to ask the love of my life to marry me, the next I broke your heart. Believe me, that look in your eyes when I walked away is something that I will regret for the rest of my life,” Alec said, cupping Magnus’ jaw, his thumb sweeping across Magnus’ cheekbone. It was something that he never wanted to see, ever again.

 

“You were really going to propose to me when I didn’t have magic?” Magnus asked, even if he remembered the dinner that Alec had set up. It had been beautiful. And he had been too lost in his loss to realise what it had meant.

 

“I told you, the magic wasn’t important, you are. You mean more to me than all of the magic in the world. Even if you can’t see it, you are more than your magic, Magnus,” Alec said honestly. Yes, he was glad that Magnus had his magic back but that wasn’t why he loved him, he loved Magnus for who he was, magic or none.

 

“But you said…” Magnus trailed off. He could see the honesty of Alec’s words in his beautiful hazel eyes but they were still hard to reconcile with the words that Alec had spoken before, even if he knew now that Alec loved him. It had been hard to hear.

 

“What you needed to hear to let me go. I hated myself for it, I didn’t mean a word of it. Believe me, I never wanted to say those words to you because they aren’t true. I just didn’t know what else to say. I’m not exactly the world’s best liar,” Alec said, conceding Lorenzo’s earlier point.

 

Magnus stared into Alec’s eyes. All his life, people had wanted things from him, for him to solve their problems, for him to render his services to them, to use his magic to help them. Alec had wanted him when he had no magic or services to offer. He’d had nothing but himself to give. And Alec had still wanted him. Forever. Because that was what marriage meant to a Shadowhunter. Forever.

 

“Do it. Do it now, Alexander, propose to me,” Magnus said, wiping the last of his tears away when Alec just blinked at him.

 

“You want me to?” Alec asked, stunned that Magnus still wanted a life with him. The nod and the shaky laugh that Magnus gave him had him searching for the ring before Magnus changed his mind. If Magnus would have him, he wasn’t going to waste the chance that he was being offered.

 

Magnus snapped his fingers, summoning the ring. And dressing Alec in nicer clothes while he was at it. The holes and blood on Alec’s clothes didn’t exactly scream romance, but the nice black suit and dark shirt did.

 

Alec took the ring from Magnus when he held it out, his hand shaking but his resolve firm and steady. Sinking to one knee, thinking that it was right to do it in a place where they had had some of their best memories, he gazed up at Magnus and took his left hand in his own.

 

“Magnus Bane, I never thought I would get this opportunity, the opportunity to love a person as fiercely as I love you or that I would get to share my life with that person. If someone had asked me what my future held before I met you, I wouldn’t have had an answer for them. Because I couldn’t see anything. I couldn’t see that someone like you would come into my life, or that I would be thankful that you did. 

 

“But I am. I’m so thankful for the day that you crashed into my existance and wiped away everything that I thought I knew about myself, about life, about what I thought I deserved. And I’m so thankful that you taught me to love. Will you spend the rest of my life teaching me how to love, over and over again? Because now that I know what it feels like to love you, to be loved back by you, just as fiercely, and I know what it feels like to face losing that love, I don’t think I could face it ever again. Will you marry me?” Alec asked, hope shining through every syllable. He meant it down to the depths of his soul.

 

“Nobody has ever seen me like you do, Alexander Lightwood. You accept all of me, even the bits that I need to accept for myself. Your love is my strength, the very best part of me and it keeps me going when it feels like everything else is slipping away. I don’t know what our future holds, what crazy adventures or tests will be put before us. But I know, that if I have you by my side, that I will be able to face them with the courage that you give me, just by loving me.

 

“They say that a Nephilim love once and fiercely. Thank you for letting me in, for picking me to be the one you give that love to. But you should know, that it is impossible for you to love me as fiercely as I love you, Nephilim or not. Yes, I’ll marry you, Alexander, because the thought of living without you is not something that I want to contemplate, ever again. I love you too much,” Magnus said, his heart beating out of his chest when Alec slipped the Lightwood ring onto his finger, even if his voice had been steady and unwavering.

 

Alec took a moment to stare at the ring on Magnus’ finger, pressing his lips to it before he was yanked up off of his knee. He had to laugh, a giggle bursting from him when Magnus just kept on yanking until their lips met. The soft lips that pressed hard against his own were something that he had missed. They were his home.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm praying for at least some of this to come true. Also, Asmodeus kind of had a point when he said that the deal for the loft should be void because Lorenzo took the magic back but I still hate him.


End file.
